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Technology of the Realms
Writer's Corner Technology of Lancerus The peoples of Lancerus are a well-learned, curious people that seek to innovate more so than any of the other realms of Ura. If equating technology in Lancerus with a Mundanian equivalent, most of the advancements relate to the same in 13th century Europe. There are some exceptions, however. Technology that exists in Lancerus Wine Press Developed in Toblin during the last few hundred years, the wine press was created to create large amounts of wine from grapes or other similar goods without releasing tannin into the mixture. Since its creation the wine press has spread throughout the entire realm with great success. Hops Beer in its current form has existed since the Third Age. Originating in Toblin at the hands of the legendary "Charlie Mops" (a classic tall tale), Beer became widespread as the laborers drink due to how inexpensive it was to produce. Beer is still the drink of choice of many a northerner. Treadwheel Crane Without Dwarven insight or Elven magic, humans had to develop new means of creating large structures quickly. As the Third Age began and humanity found itself the new master of Lancerus, the urge to expand could not be contained. The treadwheel crane was engineered to maximize efficiency in construction. The crane is human powered and allows large amounts of weight to be moved around vertically and sometimes horizontally. Without treadwheel cranes, large structures such as castles and cathedrals would not exist in Lancerus. Stationary Harbor Crane The success of the Treadwheel crane paved the way for a more widespread use of crane technology. In Gildor, Oden, Larkenvale and some smaller provinces now use cranes mounted in harbors to quickly unload ships. Oddly enough, most Arnish cities have not adopted the harbor crane. Their use of large amounts of manual labor (slaves) prevents harbor cranes from being necessary. Mast Crane Some harbor cranes are specifically designed for building ships and setting the masts into frames. This has allowed for such nations as Larkenvale to create some truly massive warships and trade vessels. Oil Paint The most common form of painting in Lancerus is tempera painting. However, within the last 20 years, some wealthy painters have begun creating new works of art from oil paints. The method allows for greater color saturation and easier blending of color; for these reasons, many experts believe oil painting will someday replace tempera as the primary method of painting in Lancerus. Hourglass Dwarven glass makers perfected the creation of the hourglass in the year 898 Fourth Age. The hourglass replaced the waterglass from which it was inspired. The advantages of the hourglass are many: sand does not freeze with temperature, sand does not evaporate, sand can be adjusted in more ways than water can, and many others. Human craftsman learned to copy the work of the Dwarves; since then, hourglasses have become the work of expert artisans. Weight-driven Clocks Another invention of Dwarven tinkerers, weight driven clocks saw use in many territories, as wealthy traders could not resist their craftsmanship and practicality. Originally seeing use in the 10th century of the Fourth Age, human engineering has since improved on the design. Pendulum clocks, also called grandfather clocks, have now found a place in wealthy homes. The clocks use pendulums to regulate their time and bells to sound the hour. Some newer clocks even sound every fifteen minutes. Blast Furnace A special form of smelting furnace created during the White War of Lancerus. Created in response to the growing need for arming the armies of men against the Forsaken, the blast furnace creates more weapons quicker and of better quality. Paper Mill Water and animal powered paper mills have found use in the kingdoms of Lancerus. Due to their smell, most cities require that paper mills be located some distance outside of city centers and/or walls. Trip Hammers and Stamp Mills Powerful water-powered machinery that is used to mine ore, form metal, or pound grain for agriculture. Water powered machinery such as this saw use first in Gildor sometime in the 5th century, Fourth Age. Spectacles Human scientists have discovered some 80 years ago a rudimentary cause of bad vision in many individuals; namely, elongated or shortened eyes. To counter this, spectacles were created from glass panes to correct bad vision. Though still relatively expensive, many mid-income workers have access to this technology. Watermark Human invention created the watermark in Opal Shore in 761 of the Fourth Age. The watermark was originally a means to keep a master's mark on slave documentation. Universities Halls of higher learning were first erected in Westhome in 390 Fourth Age. Their use soon spread across Gildor and then all of Lancerus. Chess Though many older forms of the game exist, the most recent form of the game found rise from the scholar names Alextazer Chessa, of who the game is named. His introduction of the rules for castling, double moves for pawns on their first turn and the modification of the bishop piece. As a master of the game (known as Four Ranks in his day), he taught his variation of the game to his students at the university of Arkrest. After his death in 524 Fourth Age, his version of Four Ranks (called Chessa's Ranks and eventually simply Chessa) spread across Lancerus. The true origins of Four Ranks are unknown. It is not known if it is a game that survived from Falfir or if it was brought over from another Realm. Liquor As per Odenian tradition, advancements in the brewing of hard drinks continued well into the settlement of Lancerus. Though there are conflicting stories, a large majority assert the point of origin being Greenwater and Arkrest. In Greenwater, fruit distillation led to the creation of a strong drink favored by the Wolf Knights and soldiers of their ranks: Schnapps. Around the same time, Arkrestian sailors began imbibing in rum. Rum became a necessity for its higher alcohol content and storage. These drinks eventually gave rise to the "National Drinks of Lancerus" Soap Elves created soap sometime during the Second Age as a common gift for men. Although the Elves themselves do not need it, Elves found their new allies to be... smelly. Dwarves had never accepted the gift, finding their natural musk to suit them, though humans were more inclined to take the hint. Humans have since come to manufacture a wide variety of soaps and many of them, even commoners, use them regularly. Dental Hygiene White teeth and fresh breath are desirable traits in Lancerus. Rough linen cloths soaked in pastes and powders are used to clean the teeth; one popular mixture is sage ground with salt crystals. Breath fresheners are often times vinegar or wine based. Mint and cinnamon are also popular choices. These practices have been occurring since the beginning of the Third Age. Full Plate Armor Only utilized within the last few years by the Wolf Knights of Gildor, a full suit of plate armor covers the wearer head to toe in powerful steel armor. The armor has very few weak points and allows for near invulnerability against lesser-equipped adversaries. Trebuchet As Gildor and Larkenvale continued to war with each other over the last several hundred years, advancements made in siege equipment allowed for easier siege against castles. This has caused skirmishes to only increase since the trebuchet was first unveiled 200 years ago. Crossbow A fairly recent invention designed to counter the difficult learning curve of the standard bow. Crossbows are incredibly powerful and are able to shoot bolts through even some of the toughest armor. Crossbows have yet to find major distribution in Lancerus, though they have been around since at least 1002. Picture Box A bizarre and rare device, the picture box uses a lightstone and a power source to burn images into sheets of paper. These sheets are then treated to a chemical bath in low light rooms, revealing the image. Lightstones, the primary piece of the picture box, are only mined from the Deep Way. As such, very few of these artifacts exist and fewer still know how to use them. They are often signs of status and wealth. Technology that does not exist in Lancerus Niter The precursor for the rise of firearms in Mundania, niter (or potassium nitrate) is not available in Lancerus or anywhere else in Ura. Printing Press Though the technology to mass produce the written word is being discussed by scholars, application of these ideas has yet to see the light of day. Watches Though the technology for clocks exists, the components in their creation are far too large to be put into something as small as a wrist device. Miniaturization does not yet exist. Dry Dock Though there has been speculation of the creation of a dry dock in Arkrest, no such thing exists yet in Lancerus. Bastion Fortress (Star Fort) Castles in Lancerus are constructed in traditional medieval fashion. Star forts, created in response to cannons, are not seen anywhere in Ura. Ocean-faring Ships Most ships in Lancerus are built for speed and short voyages. The longest sojourn for any Lancerus ship (Bishop's Harbor in Oden to Briiga in Arn) is still much shorter than voyages made in Mundania during the Age of Exploration. As such, large ships have ultimately been mostly unnecessary except for military defense. There is no need for any Lancerus vessel to veer off into the Unbound Sea.